Brisket is usually the first idea I turn to for Hanukkah. But this year I'm going with chicken. More gently priced and easy to cook, chicken is a wonderful match for crisp, fried latkes, especially a chicken dish with sweet and savory flavors. Sephardic Jewish cookery often incorporates sweet spices and fresh or dried fruits with meats and poultry. Hanukkah, which begins at sundown Sunday, is the season for these soothing tastes.

I got to thinking about this recently while judging (noshing) at the regional finals of the 48th National Chicken Cooking Contest in Salisbury, Md. In the test kitchens of Perdue Farms, we tasted 18 dishes expertly prepared by Perdue corporate executive chef Chris Moyer. That's a lot of chicken in a day and a half, but who's clucking?

Many of the dishes were standouts. These recipes had been deemed the best in each state's contest and awarded $100. The National Chicken Council collects and judges entries from 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The 51 winning entries are grouped into the nine geographical regions. The nine contestants who win their regions go on to prepare their dishes at the National Chicken Cook-Off in San Antonio, Texas, in May. The top prize of $50,000 is not chicken feed.

Taking top honors in the South Atlantic region, Spanish-Style Sweet and Sour Chicken was the dish that inspired my Hanukkah feast thoughts. The developer of the recipe resides in Florida.

This dish highlighted trendy Spanish flavors with an aromatic marriage of cinnamon and almonds, along with an old-fashioned bread sauce technique. Lovely, I thought. Would be good with latkes, I may have said aloud. Not that I could have eaten a latke thing right then.

The Vermont state-winner was Glazed Chicken Thighs with Pears and Gruyere Crostini. It didn't win the New England region but nonetheless was admired by our chef and his chicken-eating judges. We loved the earthy mix of root vegetables and pears in this one-pot recipe. A latke on the side would do it proud (then I'd leave off the Crostini).

Not part of the cook-off but also a terrific choice for Hanukkah comes from "Matzoh Ball Gumbo" by Marcie Cohen Ferris (University of North Carolina Press, 2005). Holiday Honey Chicken with Fruit is an easy dish using boneless breasts. It's great for a crowd, too -- simply double the recipe and use two pans.

Ms. Ferris' mother, Huddy Horowitz Cohen, often prepared this for congregation suppers at Temple Israel when the family lived in Blytheville (pronounced Bly-ville), Ark. I'm familiar with the recipe and made it many times because I worked on the book.

What's nice, always, about chicken is that everyone has a favorite part, and most any recipe can be made with a mixture of parts or just one. To ease some of the burden on the cook, these dishes can be made ahead, even the day before the latkes start to fry. Latkes you want to cook pretty much at the last minute. Happy Hanukkah!

---

PG TESTED

This recipe is the state winner of Florida, and it took tops in the South Atlantic regional category.

• 1/2 cup blanched almonds (I used slivered)
• 3 slices (1/2 inch thick) French bread
• 4 to 4 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on, split chicken breasts and thighs, breasts halved crosswise
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
• 1/2 cup mild red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or chives

On tray in toaster oven or regular oven at 375 degrees, bake almonds and bread until light brown, about 10 minutes, turning bread once. Let cool. (If using slivered almonds, use separate pans. They'll brown first.)

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, warm oil until hot but not smoking. In batches, cook chicken skin side down, turning once, until well browned, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer to Dutch oven. Discard fat from skillet.

Return skillet to medium heat; add broth and butter. Bring to boil, stirring to incorporate browned bits. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes to reduce by 1/4.

Tear toasted bread into pieces; put in small bowl with vinegar. Pulse almonds in food processor until nearly ground. Add soaked bread, sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Pulse until nearly smooth. Pour in broth mixture from skillet; process again.

Scrape sauce over chicken and bring to boil. Cover and transfer to 375-degree oven. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until chicken is tender, registers 170 degrees and is no longer pink in thickest part.

Skim off any fat. Arrange chicken on platter, spoon sauce over and sprinkle with parsley or chives.

Makes 6 servings.

To reheat: Place chicken and sauce in glass baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees, spooning sauce over chicken a couple of times until hot and bubbly.

-- Adapted from the National Chicken Cooking Contest

---

PG TESTED

This is Vermont's winner in the 48th National Chicken Cooking Contest. You can omit the Crostini if you have latkes.

• 12 bone-in chicken thighs (4 1/2 to 5 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch slices
• 4 medium parsnips, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch slices
• 1 large leek, halved and cut in 3/4-inch slices, rinsed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped (2 tablespoons), plus sprigs for garnish
• Four 1/4-inch slices peeled fresh ginger
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup apple cider, juice or dry white wine
• 3 firm-ripe Bosc pears, unpeeled, cored and cut in 3/4-inch chunks
• Gruyere Crostini (optional): 12 1/2-inch slices crusty French bread, lightly toasted, and 12 thin slices Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Salt and pepper chicken. In large heavy skillet, heat oil and butter over medium heat. In batches, cook chicken about 5 minutes per side until browned. Transfer to Dutch oven.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Stir in carrots, parsnips, leek, garlic, sage and ginger. Pour in broth; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits.

Pour vegetable mixture over chicken in Dutch oven. Reserve skillet. Return juices in Dutch oven to boil. Cover, transfer to oven and bake 45 to 60 minutes, until chicken registers 170 degrees and is no longer pink in thickest part.

Meanwhile, in same skillet over high heat, bring cider to boil. Add pears, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

With slotted spoon, transfer chicken and vegetables to serving platter, keeping them separate. Place pears with vegetables. Cover and keep warm in low oven. Pour chicken cooking juices into pear liquid in skillet. Bring to boil and cook until thickened. Spoon over chicken. Garnish with sage sprigs.

For Crostini (optional)

Put toast on baking sheet; top with Gruyere. Broil until bubbly.

Makes 6 hearty servings.

To make ahead and reheat

Reserve sauce separately. Arrange chicken and vegetables with pears on rimmed baking sheet. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes, until warmed through. Heat sauce on stovetop.

-- Adapted from the National Chicken Cooking Council

---

PG TESTED

Hanukkah, celebrated for eight days and nights, recalls the miracle of the oil that kept the menorah burning, even though there was not enough. Traditional foods enjoyed during this time are fried in oil.

• 3 to 4 large baking potatoes (about 3 pounds), peeled
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup matzoh meal or all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Dash of freshly ground black pepper
• Canola oil for frying

With box grater or in food processor, grate potatoes coarse or fine. Swish in bowl of cold water. Drain and squeeze out liquid. In medium bowl, mix potatoes, onion, eggs, matzoh meal or flour, salt, baking powder and pepper.

In large heavy skillet (or two skillets), heat 1/2 inch oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Drop potato mixture by tablespoons into oil, a few at a time, flattening each with spatula. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp, reducing heat and adding more oil if necessary.

Drain latkes on paper towels. Transfer to platter and keep warm briefly in low oven. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream.

Makes about 16 latkes.

For Sweet Potato Latkes

Substitute 1 1/2 pounds peeled sweet potatoes for half the baking potatoes. Add a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger.

-- Adapted from "The International Kosher Cookbook" edited by Batia Plotch and Patricia Cobe (Fawcett, 1992).

---

PG TESTED

This makes lots of juice, good with latkes or white rice.

• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Eight 6-ounce skinned, boned chicken-breast halves, trimmed
• 1 cup pitted prunes
• 1 cup dried apricot halves

In medium bowl, whisk orange juice, honey, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Put chicken in shallow glass dish or large zip-top freezer bag. Pour marinade over chicken, or seal the bag and squish to coat. Put bag in dish. Marinate in refrigerator 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease large roasting pan. Arrange chicken in a single layer in pan. Scatter dried fruit over and around chicken. Pour half of marinade over chicken, discarding remainder.

Bake, basting chicken and pressing fruit into the juices once or twice, until chicken is no longer pink in the thickest part, about 45 minutes. Serve with fruit and pan juices.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

-- Adapted from "Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South" by Marcie Cohen Ferris (University of North Carolina Press, 2005).